The security of computing devices has become a greater concern as such devices incorporate or store more and more personal information. Biometrics are often touted as providing high security, since many biometrics are difficult to spoof. However, biometric sensors may be slow and prone to error.
Certain biometrics may likewise have a greater application than just security, presuming biometric input, enrollment and validation may be provided quickly, safely and effectively. For example, a fingerprint may not only provide access to a device for a user, but also serve as a token or indicator for the user.
Additionally, many computing devices rely on binary inputs for user interaction. For example, many computers use keyboards, mice and/or trackpads for user input. Generally, these devices either register an input or they do not. Many keyboards, for example, register an input when sufficient force is applied to a key to collapse a dome switch beneath the key. If insufficient force is applied, no input registered. Likewise, both the force necessary to barely collapse the dome and force far above that necessary to collapse the dome register as the exact same input. This is true of many input devices.
Capacitive sensing devices, such as touch screens, generally are also binary. A touch is sensed and an input generated, or no touch is sensed and there is no input.
Further, given the use of physical contacts, switches and the like in input devices, altering a stack or layout of an input device may prove challenging. Thus, it may be difficult to incorporate new technologies, such as biometric sensing, into certain input devices like buttons, keys, mice and the like.